Twenty-one more people tested positive of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the outbreak involving three naval vessels, Taiwan's epidemic monitoring agency said Sunday.
The new patients, including service personnel and cadets, are 19 men and two women who developed symptoms of COVID-19 from April 14 to 18, the agency said in a press release.
The infection source of this outbreak remained unclear, the statement said.
The fleet of three naval vessels returned to Taiwan on April 15 after a short stop at Palau from March 12 to 15 and nearly 30 days of sail. A majority of people on board disembarked before the first three tested positive of the virus Saturday.
A total of 744 service personnel and cadets have taken the COVID-19 tests as of Sunday. Except for 24 patients receiving treatment at isolation wards, the rest are staying at six quarantine stations and one barracks, according to the agency.
The agency estimated that about 2,000 to 3,000 people might have contacts with the patients.
The agency also announced another imported COVID-19 case, a Taiwan resident in his 20s who developed symptoms on April 10 in the United States and returned to Taiwan on April 17.
The total number of COVID-19 patients in Taiwan has risen to 420, 189 of whom have recovered and six died.
